Miss my research life (tho I am still a research student at this age). Tapi nanti klu full-time duk kat lab, rasa tak beneficial pula kurang knowledge sharing. Entah la nak
When I was twenty, my mom got sick.
Not the dramatic kind you see in movies. Just something that started as “fatigue” and turned into hospital visits, prescriptions, and quiet conversations behind closed doors.
I was in school. I had plans. I was supposed to be focused on exams and internships and figuring out who I wanted to become.
Instead, I learned how to read medical bills.
My dad worked overtime. I started picking up shifts at a grocery store after classes. I told my friends I couldn’t hang out because I was “saving money.” I didn’t tell them it was for copays and medication refills.
There was one night I remember clearly.
The power hadn’t gone out. No one was yelling. Nothing dramatic was happening. I was just sitting at the kitchen table with a calculator, trying to make numbers behave. If we paid this bill late, could we cover the next one? If I worked two extra shifts, could we avoid using the credit card?
I felt older than I was.
At the hospital, I learned how to sit still for hours. How to nod calmly when doctors explained things I barely understood. How to smile at my mom and say, “It’s going to be fine,” even when I wasn’t sure.
I stopped sleeping properly. I stopped complaining. I became efficient. Responsible. Reliable.
One afternoon, after a long shift, I sat in my car and realized I hadn’t cried once since everything started. Not because I was brave. Because I didn’t have the space to.
Things didn’t magically fix themselves. My mom’s health improved slowly. The bills didn’t disappear, but they became manageable. My grades dipped, then recovered. I kept going.
Looking back, there wasn’t a single heroic moment. No big speech. No turning point.
Just small, stubborn decisions:
Go to class. Go to work. Go to the hospital.
Repeat.
I used to think strength was loud... dramatic, visible, impressive.
Now I know it’s often quiet.
It’s the version of you that keeps moving forward, even when no one sees how heavy everything feels.
Ni mangsa p3d0. Budak ni di'gr0oming' dari sebelum ambik upsr. Bila umur 13 tahun dah mengandung.
Budak tu happy je sebenarnya sebab dia tak tahu akibat. Best apa ada lelaki sebaya bapa belai, peluk, sentuh dan akhir sekali barulah bersetubuh.
THREAD
i don't know who needs to hear this but in order to become a better person, you must first realize how horrible you really are. not in the dramatic sense, but in the quiet ways you sabotage yourself, repeat unhealthy patterns, hurt people who care about you, or tolerate what wounds you. you cannot grow if you keep pretending you’re innocent in the story you created
Missing my research gang, whether in Asasi, UTP, or LDMRC. We always had so much fun. What we did were not easy, but most of us managed to go through it because of this community.